I think i'm getting lazy, enjoying paddle-shift racecars and dual-clutch transmissions in modern street cars. You can't stop evolution. At the end of the day you can always buy older cars, 996-7 GT3s, Cobra or Caterham replica, or 1960's air cooled Porsches. Or just find a Model-T.

And this comes from the guy that shifted away on the "cousin" to Richard's "The Price is Right" S2000. Both the smooth inputs and the speedometer show up nicely.

because by 2015, everybody will be driving (if autonomous cars haven't yet taken over) an EV. just 1 gear !!!! no rev matching, no upshift, no downshift, no clutch, no automatic, no exhaust sound, no intake noise, no coolant leaks, no oil leaks !!!

because by 2015, everybody will be driving (if autonomous cars haven't yet taken over) an EV. just 1 gear !!!! no rev matching, no upshift, no downshift, no clutch, no automatic, no exhaust sound, no intake noise, no coolant leaks, no oil leaks !!!

Not me for sure.But I advice everyone to get an EV,there will be more gas left for me and the likes
On the other note,I bet the so-called autonomous cars are ready to be released any day now,a few manufacturers have the technology almost 100%.There are 2 very important conditions that will keep this from happening,probably for a long time.A proper car-by-car communication protocol standart adopted by all manufacturers and a proper laws defining the autonomous cars.Insurance companies may never approve them,because at one point auto insurance may become obsolete.

The biggest obstacle for autonomous vehicles is not technology. It is how to incorporate and transition successfully to a road system not controlled by humans. Maybe start with a single lane on the freeway like a carpool lane or maybe a small congested area locked out to only autonomous vehicles. Could alleviate a lot of parking problems too and will dramatically reduce accidents. Standards and laws will be tricky to define but all vehicles will have to be compatible with each other which could easily lead to a monopoly. I'm sure Musk is trying to get all over this.

I could not handle being a passenger in an autonomous car. I need more control. Also, how does it work with traffic lights? Do the cars recognize the red, yellow and green lights? Do they recognize Stop signs? How do they deal with it if there's a power failure and the traffic lights are not working? How do they decide what route to take -- GPS navigation directions? How do they decide where to park when you get to your destination? Is it possible for the person in what used to be called the "driver's seat" to take manual control? Can they be programmed to re-park themselves at night without anyone in them, on those streets that have no parking restrictions for street cleaning one day a week? What happens when you go to a restaurant that has valet parking? What happens when an old timer with a gas powered, humanly driven one crashes into an autonomous car? My questions are endless . . .

I could not handle being a passenger in an autonomous car. I need more control. Also, how does it work with traffic lights? Do the cars recognize the red, yellow and green lights? Do they recognize Stop signs? How do they deal with it if there's a power failure and the traffic lights are not working? How do they decide what route to take -- GPS navigation directions? How do they decide where to park when you get to your destination? Is it possible for the person in what used to be called the "driver's seat" to take manual control? Can they be programmed to re-park themselves at night without anyone in them, on those streets that have no parking restrictions for street cleaning one day a week? What happens when you go to a restaurant that has valet parking? What happens when an old timer with a gas powered, humanly driven one crashes into an autonomous car? My questions are endless . . .

The good news for you Mr. Sheriff is there is a ton of new case history to be made here. I expect to see a few landmark The Sheriff vs. "_______" cases being referenced in the future.

That's a great thinking. Never cross my mind that autonomous car can be a chauffeur car. Drop you off at a restaurant. Go find a parking space. To pick up kids at school, drop them off at a movie. Whe you have a few beer and get drunk. Pick you up, take you home and go back to pick up kids !!

Parents job these day are driving kids around. Autonomous car would save 5 hours a day easy

Sign me up !!

Originally Posted by Richard EVO

I could not handle being a passenger in an autonomous car. I need more control. Also, how does it work with traffic lights? Do the cars recognize the red, yellow and green lights? Do they recognize Stop signs? How do they deal with it if there's a power failure and the traffic lights are not working? How do they decide what route to take -- GPS navigation directions? How do they decide where to park when you get to your destination? Is it possible for the person in what used to be called the "driver's seat" to take manual control? Can they be programmed to re-park themselves at night without anyone in them, on those streets that have no parking restrictions for street cleaning one day a week? What happens when you go to a restaurant that has valet parking? What happens when an old timer with a gas powered, humanly driven one crashes into an autonomous car? My questions are endless . . .

Reconnoitering the environment (lights/signs/weather/construction/meat operated vehicles) is not the problem,,,, self-parking done (see Audi).… all of the “don’t crash the car” part is relatively simple… (anyone got a rumba?) Parking rules will need to be “posted” on the web(most already are).

Of course you have to include a manual override… at least for now, and it will be a while before they can not have a "driver" in them....

Fear of change is the primary delaying obstacle… but this will happen, and it will change everything.

all of the “don’t crash the car” part is relatively simple… (anyone got a rumba?)

Yes, and its "system" (when it's not getting stuck under the coffee table or bookcase) is to blindly ram into everything, at which point it determines there is an obstacle and attempts a slightly different direction. A future of bumper cars is amusing but hopefully not where we will end up